THE TRUE NIGHT-JARS. 51 



only once, a specimen having been recorded from Mansfield 

 in Nottinghamshire by Mr. Whitaker. It was shot there on 

 the 23rd of June, 1883. It is by no means an unlikely bird 

 to occur in England, as it evidently wanders westward, on 

 occasions, from its eastern home. One specimen has been 

 obtained in Heligoland, three in Malta, and one in Sicily. 



Range outside the British Islands. The home of this species is 

 in the desert countries of Northern Africa from Algeria to 

 Egypt and Nubia. Thence it ranges to the Caspian, and 

 eastwards to Turkestan and Afghanistan. Its occurrence with- 

 in European limits is, as mentioned above, purely accidental. 

 It appears to winter in N. E. Africa. 



Habits. With the exception that the Isabelline Night-Jar is 

 a bird of the deserts, it is very similar in habits to our common 

 species, passing the day in retirement, when its sandy-coloured 

 plumage, assimilating to the ground around it, doubtless affords 

 the bird entire protection from observation. Those travellers 

 who have observed the species in North-eastern Africa, have 

 remarked that several individuals are generally seen together, 

 but this is probably during the season of migration only. 

 Captain Shelley procured four males together in March, and 

 he thinks that the sexes, in all probability, migrate in flocks. 

 This is very likely, as Von Heuglin also remarks that the 

 specimens which he shot out of large flocks of fifty proved to 

 be all females. 



Nest. None ; a depression being formed in the sand or 

 under the shade of a bush. 



Eggs. Two in number, very similar to those of our Common 

 Night-Jar, but smaller, and with the ground-colour creamy- 

 yellow. 



III. RED-NECKED NIGHT-JAR. CAPRIMULGUS RUFICOLLIS. 



Caprimulgus ruficollis, Temm. Man. Orn. p. 438 (1820) ; 

 Newton, ed. Yarr. ii. p. 386 (1874); Dresser, B. Eur. iv. 

 p. 633, pi. 273 (1874) ; B. O. U. List Br. B. p. 75 (1883) ; 

 Seebohm, Br. B. ii. p. 317 (1884) ; Saunders, Man. Br. B. 

 p. 259 (1889); Hartert, Cat. B. xvi. p. 531 (1892). 

 Adult Male General colour above sandy-grey, mottled and 



E 2 



